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What Do Successful On-Site Managers Do?

Posted July 24 2017

The success of a team always depends on the success of leadership, but it’s not just corporate leadership that matters. When you are looking to build a great workforce, you should pay particular attention to the actions of your on-site managers. How do they supervise their staff? How do they respond to incidents? How do they plan for the future? It all matters to the overall success of their teams and the company. Here are 4 ways you can recognize the great on-site managers from the unsuccessful.

They have a communication system in place

Leadership is all about communication, specifically clear communication. Without that understanding between a manager and an employee, there is very little chance of success between the two of them. One of the most important things that will help managers and employees zero in on the task at hand is called “commanders intent”, where military leaders made their intentions crystal clear and of utmost importance to their soldiers. Only then will employees be able to fulfill their duties to the best of their ability.

They have a reporting system or clear chain of command

No site manager can do the whole of the work on their own. Businesses are built on the successes of many individuals, but working together as a team requires a clear feedback mechanism to support the decision making of the site manager. If something isn’t working, a site manager needs to know why and to what degree. Do they have a deputy or assistant who can act as their eyes and ears and help support them in their leadership of the workforce? These things are critical to running a successful site.

They know how to motivate each team and employee

Leadership is as much (if not more) about motivating people as it is about telling them what to do. The “why” is critical to the group success of a workforce. Great on-site managers need to be able to talk with employees directly, know their situation, understand their motivations and what inspires them to do their job well. Only then will the team be successful as a unit.

They learn from past experiences

Both success and failure teach us something, and on-site managers should know this better than anyone else. The important thing is how individual employees (and managers as well) learn from a situation, share that knowledge, and incorporate known best practices into their future work. Success is built on the experiences of others. Site managers need to be able to respond quickly to situations based on their experience and what they understand of the situation. If someone on their team is found making the same mistakes again and again, you should look closely at how or why their manager has not provided them with the feedback they need to improve their performance.